snapshot/exploreTaipei: FAB CAFE at HUASHAN 1914 CULTURAL CREATIVE PARK

FAB CAFE
at HUASHAN 1914 CREATIVE PARK 
華山1914文創園區中三館
 No. 1 Bade Rd, Sec. 1
台北市八德路一段1號
(02)3322-4749

MRT: Shandao Temple or Zhongxiao/Xinsheng

Hours: Sun – Thu: 11AM – 10PM; Fri – Sat: 11AM – 12midnight

$$

website: fabcafe.com/taipei 

kid friendliness: probably more suited for older kids

visit reviewed: 12/28/2014

There's always something to explore at Huashan 1914 and today was the first time I wandered into Fab Cafe. Besides the cafe itself, which was full of diners, there's a space next to it that displayed Art Project 365 by different artists.

Fab Cafe originated in Japan as a creative cafe space, not only equipped with new technologies such as 3D printers and laser cutters for people to use, but also as gathering spot for events, workshops and Fab meetups. With other branches in Tokyo, Barcelona, Bangkok and Sitges, it's such a cool concept that I'm sure will make its way to the states someday. Taipei actually has a lot of creativity sprouting up in places like Huashan 1914 and central places like these will foster even more opportunities for people to be inspired. 

 

This was one of my favorite art pieces- a giant circular board covered in individual drawings cut out and fit together like a puzzle. Could be a fun thing to do at home... cover a wall with a drawing a day.

This was rotating images on a transparent glass... pretty mesmerizing to watch. Maybe one day there will be photo frames like this for homes.

Next post will be more about Huashan 1914 in general and some of the exhibits going on right now! Just thought Fab Cafe was so cool, it should have its own post. So if you've been itching to make your own fantastic 3D printed creations but don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a machine, you know now where to go.

Other posts about Huashan 1914
VVG Thinking 

news: restaurant round up summer 2013 - 2014

Yup! There are cronuts in Taipei!

Eeek! I haven't done a restaurant round up in TWO years! I found one from earlier this year and one from last year sitting in my drafts folder. Oops! So I've combined the two lists and added some more to just mark it down while it's fresh in my memory. It's always hard to get e-v-e-r-y single restaurant, as the Taipei restaurant scene changes constantly, but here's just a few places that are new-ish and notable and some that have closed. This list is just from the top of my head, so please add in the comment section below if something opened or closed near you!


NEW and NOTABLE (that I haven't tried yet)

• Coco and Bencotto at Mandarin Oriental
• L'Air
• Angelo's
• Very Thai Noodles
• Dairy Queen
• King Burrito in Shilin
• Lucky Ribs
• Tribeca
• Cyclo at Dunhua 
• Whalen's
• Chicken in Bok and Beer
• Pico Pico
• Bite2Eat at Zhongxiao
• Biteology
• L'Idiot (reopening)
• Yiamas Greek Taverna
• VVG Action and Cafe Showroom and lots of eats at Eslite Spectrum Songyan
• Leo's Tuck Shop
• Shrimp Daddy
• MVSA
• Perfume Dance at ATT4Fun
• Schaffer's Kitchen
• Campus Cafe
• Queen's Cuisine
• Homie Cafe
• Black as Chocolate World
• Leo's Tuck Shop
• Quiznos
• Fiesta Cafeteria
• Kinfolk Cheese and Coffee

NEW REVIEWS TO COME (otherwise known as my to do list) (what do you want to read about first?)

• Balle Balle Indian 
• Lobster Bar
• Kanpai Kurogeya Shabu and Sukhothai at Mitsukoshi A4
• EIEIO Gastropub
• Brookhurst Pho
• Sunflower Kaiseki
• La Farfalla at Humble House
• Cafe De Riz
• Mayan Xinyi
• Belle Epoque
• Butcher's Kitchen
• Burger and Co
• Major K
• Laduree
• Senju Sushi Bar (Members only)
• Drip Cafe 
• Krispy Kreme
• BLT Burger and Mazendo at Xinyi Vieshow 
• Mia Cucina
• Whinos Too
• 1776 Cyrille Courant (Eclairs!)
• Dearlicious
• Yellow Lemon
• Gaucho Grill (Argentinian!) and Three Lions and all restaurants at Maji Square
• Sen Sushi
• 1Bite2Go Xinyi
• Sonnetor Cafe
• La Creperie
• Drip Cafe at Zhongxiao
• Ma Shen Mala
• Botega del Vin
• Pin Chuan Lan
• Matsubishi Teppanyaki
• Opa Greek Tavern
• Ducky's
• Kiko's Diner
• Beer and Cheese
• Yun Sushi
• Inaka Udon 
• Honey Creme
• LMNT Eat
• 1Bite2Go Truck
• Solo Trattoria

CLOSED (Darn it, some closed before I could write about them!!) (Sadface)

• Fire Bite
• Elephant Cafe 
• Manhattan Gold Burger
• Happy Hong Kong
• Belgian Beer Cafe
• Uptown kitchen
• Nonzero (temporary closure?)
• Mayan Grill
• Joy's Creperie
• Toast
• Tim and Mel's Patisserie 
• Ari Korean Tofu
• Dos Chinos
• the Loft
• Mooooo Pho
• Hielo on ZhongXiao
• Papa Gio

western/italian: i recommend VVG THINKING

VVG THINKING
at Huashan 1914 Cultural Creative Park
No. 1, Bade Road Sec. 1
華山文創產業園區．
紅磚六合院 / C 棟 ( 杭州北路．北平東路口 )
(02) 2322-5573


MRT: ZhongXiao/XinSheng

website: VVG's FB

hours: Noon- 9:00pm

$$

Kid friendliness: room for strollers. pastas and risottos and dessert fare

Visit reviewed: 1/25/2013

Sometimes you need a quiet place to be alone with your thoughts, with a cup of coffee and some atmosphere. Where to find that among the hustle and bustle of crowded cafes and diners and food courts in Taipei? 

Deep inside the Huashan 1914 Creative Park is VVG Thinking, the latest restaurant from the VVG empire, which may be the biggest, most eclectic and hipster of them all. I was meeting friends there and got a bit lost as VVG Thinking wasn't on the map as there are two sides to Huashan Park. A phone call and some directions led me to a row of red bricked buildings and a pair of angel statues to point me to the entrance.

Once inside, you might find your eyes wandering up as the ceiling at the entrance, at the grand two story ceiling and the industrial meets vintage chic warehouse space.  VVG Thinking transformed the former factory space into a first floor bistro and second floor shop. I didn't even know there was a shop upstairs until my friends mentioned that I should check it out, so be sure not to miss it.

And in true VVG fashion, presentation sets the tone for the meal. Even the potato bread comes in an aluminum tin can, wrapped in layers of paper.

The menu has various lunch sets available at NT$880-1480 (available only from 12noon to 2PM), depending on how many courses you choose, as well as a la carte soups, pastas, salads, risottos and main dishes, mostly around NT$300-500. But the portions run on the small side, so you might find yourself ordering more than one dish to be full, or thinking about a post meal snack elsewhere, so you might consider ordering a set.

The salads come in a glass tumbler, capped with a wooden lid so you can shake and mix the dressing in. It's really a cool way to present the salad, which doesn't look as fancy when it's poured onto the plate with the slim toppings.

The pink shrimp and grapefruit salad (NT$320) comes with a spicy Thai chili dressing which did have a kick to it. We also tried the apple and prosciutto salad (NT$320) which came with long paper thin shavings of apple and a shiso and yuzu dressing. Between the two, I'd order the apple and prosciutto again first.

The dishes slowly made their way to the table one by one and we were getting a bit impatient and hungry. So prepare to share a bit of your food, or don't come too hungry. 

The mentaiko, scallop and mushroom linguine (NT$420) came drizzled with mentaiko sauce (mayo?).

I thought the scallop and mushroom risotto with white truffle oil (NT$420) would be a good dish to share, as the waitress said it was one of the more filling dishes, but it turned out to be a quarter the size I thought it would be. The flavor was on point, but for the price I wished there was a lot more than a few spoonfuls. (For a fuller plate of risotto, check out Bianco or Sonnetor Cafe)

The porcini linguine with white truffle oil (NT$380) came with more greens and pepper seasoning than my friend expected.

The zucchini and shrimp linguine (NT$360) was fairly light, but probably more filling among the dishes we ordered.

Time to go explore...

Looking up at the loft like shelves and second floor...

Looking down at the desserts...

You could instagram here the whole afternoon and not have to post one photo of the food.

Always love thumbing through cookbooks.

All in all, a very cool place to explore and maybe do a bit of thinking, browsing, eating and have a conversation with friends.